Xu Lai put a hand to his forehead. Girl, tone it down a bit.
"Mmm, this is actually delicious!" Chong Yang exclaimed in surprise. She then tore off another lamb leg and devoured it in one bite.
This scene made the guests at the surrounding tables’ scalps tingle. They rubbed their eyes, wondering if they’d had too much to drink and were hallucinating.
"Boss, two more whole roasted lambs," Xu Lai called out with a wave. "Extra spicy and extra salty."
"Can you finish all that? Don’t waste it..." the restaurant owner kindly reminded them.
"How dare you!" Chong Yang slammed the table and said coldly, "To be disrespectful to The Supreme Emperor!"
A terrifying killing intent filled the air. The temperature in East Sea City plummeted by several degrees in an instant. The Earth Heavenly Dao hurriedly descended, but upon seeing Xu Lai... it silently retreated. Can’t provoke him. Can’t provoke him.
The restaurant owner was dumbfounded. I was just kindly reminding you not to waste food. Was there any need to slam the table?
Xu Lai silently withdrew his Divine Sense. If he hadn’t intervened, East Sea City would probably be a crater by now. He said earnestly to Chong Yang, "There’s a saying in the Hua Country: ’When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ Since we are here, we must follow their rules."
Xu Lai was The Supreme Emperor, worshiped by countless clans, a god in the hearts of innumerable beings. Impressive though it was, living that way was too exhausting. In the vast Universe, he had few confidants. All told, only Taotie and a handful of Divine Generals like Chang Nian Gu could be considered half-friends.
That was why Xu Lai chose to settle on Earth instead of bringing his wife and daughter to the Immortal Domain. Otherwise, Xu Yiyi would never have met an ordinary person like Qian Xiao in her life, nor would his wife’s companions be Xu Yaoyao and Wei Qing. Xu Lai didn’t want Earth to become a second Immortal Domain. He also didn’t want Ruan Tang and Xu Yiyi to become another lonely Xu Lai.
Chong Yang didn’t quite understand why the mighty Supreme Emperor would want to be an ordinary person, but she nodded obediently.
This meal took an hour and cost a full 7,000 yuan, mainly because the whole roasted lambs were so expensive. Luckily, Xu Lai had the credit card Ruan Tang had given him.
"Seven thousand Spirit Stones... what a ripoff!" Chong Yang said indignantly. In the Immortal Domain, a single low-grade Spirit Stone could buy dozens of pigs and sheep.
Xu Lai spent half an hour explaining things to Chong Yang, telling her some common knowledge about Earth. The young girl listened, completely bewildered. Finally, she said dejectedly, "Earth has so many rules. Maybe the Immortal Domain is more suitable for me..."
"You’ll get used to it," Xu Lai chuckled. "Let’s go. I’ll take you home."
When they returned to Haitang Court, Ruan Tang and the other women were still soaking in the hot spring. When Ruan Lan saw Xu Lai return with a beautiful young girl, her scalp prickled.
"Sister, brother-in-law really cheated on you!"
"She’s just my younger sister," Xu Lai said, his face dark.
"Younger sister, huh," Ruan Lan said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Is she even fourteen? He’s breaking the law!"
"I just celebrated my seventy-thousandth birthday..." Chong Yang said timidly.
Ruan Lan froze for a moment. Seventy thousand... does she mean seven? She gasped, "That’s it. Life imprisonment."
Xu Lai was speechless. His sister-in-law’s imagination was running wild.
Ruan Tang, however, calmly glanced at Chong Yang and smiled. "Hello there." Newest update provided by NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Chong Yang replied shyly, "Hello, Sister-in-law."
My sister-in-law’s aura is so powerful! Especially... Chong Yang’s gaze locked onto Ruan Tang’s one-piece swimsuit. Right there, she had already lost. Her aura was completely crushed.
"See? She’s intimidated now that she’s met the real wife!" Ruan Lan analyzed.
Xu Lai felt that any explanation would be pointless, so he offered none.
"Auntie, I think you’re wrong," Xu Yiyi whispered. "Didn’t you notice the most important detail?"
"Hm?" Ruan Lan was confused.
"Her figure is just like yours. There’s no way Dad would like her."
That jab wasn’t just sharp and vicious; it wounded both Chong Yang and Ruan Lan in a single blow.
Ruan Lan fumed, "Xu Yiyi, you, you, you—you little heartless brat! What’s wrong with my figure!"
"Daddy, save me! The tigress is trying to eat me!" Xu Yiyi cried out for help.
This only made Ruan Lan angrier, and the hot spring pool erupted into a commotion.
Soon after, Ruan Tang and the others got out. She even washed some fruit for Chong Yang. Unlike her sister’s dramatic tendencies, Ruan Tang assumed this was Xu Lai’s distant younger sister, so she was very gentle and kind. But the nicer she was, the more pressure Chong Yang felt. The wife of The Supreme Emperor. Even if she was just an ordinary person, Chong Yang dared not underestimate her in the slightest.
Steeling herself, Chong Yang took out a Jade Pendant and offered it to Ruan Tang. "Sister-in-law, th-this is a gift for you. And for Yiyi, too."
The Jade Pendant looked simple and unadorned, but it was an extraordinary treasure, refined from seven hundred and seventy-seven stalks of seventy-seven-section Jade Bamboo. Even the Chongming Bird Clan itself could not forge a second one. It was truly a peerless treasure.
As for Xu Yiyi’s gift, it was an egg, still faintly warm.
Xu Lai asked hesitantly, "This egg is..."
Chong Yang whispered, "A Chongming Bird egg. I just laid it."
After she said it, she scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. She didn’t really have any other treasures in her Storage Space.
He silently pushed the egg back into Chong Yang’s arms, his tone complicated. "I’ll accept the thought on Yiyi’s behalf."
Afterward, Xu Lai let the women chat among themselves while he went upstairs to prepare a room for Chong Yang. By the time he came back down, Ruan Lan had somehow produced a large case of beer and was drinking with Chong Yang. They were whispering secrets like the closest of sisters, with Ruan Lan affectionately calling her "Yangyang." Even Ruan Tang had been persuaded to have a few drinks, and her face was flushed.
"Alright, that’s enough," Xu Lai advised. Ruan Tang didn’t handle her liquor well, and things could get troublesome if she drank too much.
"Go away," Ruan Tang pushed him aside, looking at Chong Yang eagerly. "Let’s keep drinking!"
Xu Lai was baffled. What on earth had the three of them been talking about? He couldn’t help but look at his precious daughter.
He saw Xu Yiyi propping her chin on her hands, pouting adorably. "Daddy, I tried to talk to Mommy, Auntie, and Auntie Chong Yang."
"They said adults are talking and little kids shouldn’t get involved..."
His heart aching for her, Xu Lai picked up his daughter and carried her away, telling her a story to lull her to sleep.
When he came downstairs again, Ruan Tang was already drunk, her eyes hazy. Ignoring Ruan Lan’s protests, Xu Lai carried his dear wife to his room. He did this because he was afraid that if Ruan Tang got sick in the middle of the night, she would wake up their precious daughter.
He hadn’t expected, however, that just as he laid Ruan Tang on the bed and covered her with the blanket, she would open her mesmerizing, bleary eyes. Her breath was as fragrant as an orchid as she murmured, "Xu Lai, I... I..."
"Hmm?" Xu Lai leaned closer.
"I..." Ruan Tang trailed off.
"I like you?" Xu Lai took her hand, deeply moved. "I like you too."
"...want some water."
Heh. Women. Using the gentlest tone to say the most heartbreaking things.
Xu Lai picked up a glass of water and helped Ruan Tang sit up. But his wife’s crimson lips didn’t move toward the glass. Instead, they aimed straight for his.
Under the hazy moonlight, Xu Lai was utterly stunned.